NATO-Russia Council no longer exists, Polish foreign minister says
Photo: Radosław Sikorski (Getty Images)
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that the NATO-Russia Council no longer exists. He added that European security against Russia is now being established, Onet reports.
Sikorski noted that the Council was created "at a time when it seemed that Europe's security could be built together with Russia." However, he added that those times are over because of Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.
"Today we are creating European security against Russia, and this has finally found its institutional expression," he emphasized.
What is known about the NATO-Russia Council
The NATO-Russia Council was established in 2002 as a mechanism for consultations between the West and Russia on security issues. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Council stopped meeting.
In April 2014, following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Moscow. However, the Alliance decided to keep communication channels open at the ambassador level and above to exchange views, primarily concerning the war in Ukraine.
Since the annexation of Crimea, the Council has held 11 meetings, with Ukraine as the first item on the agenda. Three meetings took place in 2016, three in 2017, two in 2018, and two in 2019. The last meeting was held in January 2022.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that allies must allocate at least $1 billion per month for the supply of American weapons to Ukraine. He said this after Ukraine urged its European partners to provide several additional billions of euros by the end of the year.
Rutte also stressed that the flow of weapons to Ukraine will not stop. This, he said, would be the strongest signal to Russian leader Vladimir Putin that it is time for Russia to move toward a peace agreement.
